Seattle welcomed the first flight of Xiamen Airlines from Shenzhen, China to the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport with a grand celebration. The service marks the first U.S. nonstop destination for Xiamen.

The celebration included a ribbon cutting event and toast to the airline, which features B787-8 service to Sea-Tac Airport. Xiamen has a special connection to the Pacific Northwest since it flies an all-Boeing fleet. The new service increases the strong business and commu-nity ties between Seattle and Shenzhen, one of China’s largest cities. The service begins in the city of Xiamen (headquarters to Xiamen Airlines), then shuttles to Shenzhen before mak-ing the nonstop flight to Seattle. Xiamen will serve the route three times per week (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays) with 787-8 aircraft. The airline also announced its plans to initiate a Fuzhou-New York and a Xiamen-LA service.(Read more)